Speed it up: Wozniacki, like Federer, favors timing clocks

Caroline Wozniacki is among those in favor of adding a basketball-style shot clock during matches to ensure players don’t take too much time between points.

Former No. 1 Wozniacki, who lost her fourth-round Wimbledon match 6-2, 7-5 to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova on Monday, said she felt her Czech opponent was playing longer than the 20 seconds allowed between points.

”I thought she was very slow,” Wozniacki said. ”But I guess the referee, she has the time on it. If she’s within the time, I guess it’s OK.”

So a time clock would be fine with her.

”I wouldn’t mind,” Wozniacki said. ”You have a clock. It shows exactly how much time you take in between points.”

Zahlavova Strycova said if she was taking too much time, she should have been warned.

”The referee would tell me speed up or hurry up on your serve, I would maybe change it,” she said. ”But I didn’t get any warning or something like that, so I was just following the rhythm I had.”

Last week, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer said he thinks a clock might eventually be instituted because the 20-second rule in Grand Slams and 25-second limit in other tournaments was being abused.

”I just think it’s important that we, as players, play up to speed,” said Federer, adding that the issue has been discussed at player meetings. ”And don’t exceed the time limit, because what I don’t want is that we lose viewers because we play too slow.

”What you’re going to see next is all of a sudden a shot clock,” Federer said. ”We discussed that as well. We said we didn’t need to go that far. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were to happen all of a sudden. Because you only just need a couple of guys always doing it, and that’s when it happens.”

Lukas Rosol complained after his second-round loss to Rafael Nadal that the Spaniard was allowed to take too much time between points.

"I think all the players should have the same time between the points. But always the best players, they’re taking much more than the normal players, and nobody is telling them nothing. I don’t know why,” Rosol said.

Defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said last year at the Brisbane International that he was surprised when tournament officials began enforcing the 25-second policy there. But he, like Novak Djokovic and Nadal, have said there needs to be some allowance after long points.